Unprofessional commentary on professional communication. Professional commentary on unprofessional communication.

March 23, 2017

Military gear, as goodie-bag swag?

I usually run the Soldier Field 10 Mile race here in Chicago, so I got a promotion for this year's race, boasting of this goodie bag swag:

I think this is dumb—even though it is a Memorial Day race some of whose proceeds go to military-related charities, and even though it does start outside and finish inside Soldier Field. Isn't that enough military stuff?

People who know they cannot fathom the sacrifice of a soldier might feel weird wearing soldier gear with their spandex pants and their silly running stockings ...

and their fuckhead shoes with toes.

You wanna wear some camo stuff, wear it all, like these warriors.

Or maybe, like a sensible peace-loving civilian, you simply don't feel like wearing military-themed garb at all—not during a Memorial Day race, or during all the days after that, when you would normally enjoy your handy, sweat-wicking Soldier 10 Mile running shirt. Maybe you don't feel that wearing camo garb is any way to express gratitude to soldiers.

I am not anti-military personally, and in fact I regularly travel with an Army Reserve backpack with my name on it, given to me by the late Lt. Col. Mark Weber, who I helped to write the memoir, Tell My Sons. I feel a little weird doing this sometimes—especially when airport personnel try to usher me through security—but the bag helps me remember Mark, and gives me a chance to tell his story to anyone who asks.

But that's my call, and it's part of my story.

I think these race organizers are being unnecessarily heavy-handed and presumptuous by issuing army-themed uniforms to tens of thousands of civilians, each of whom has a different set of attitudes toward the military.